The Cavalier is riding into SoMa's newest hotel, with a tip of the cap to London.

For their third project, Anna Weinberg and chef Jennifer Puccio- the team behind Marlowe and Park Tavern - will take over the street-level restaurant space in the revamped Hotel Zetta (55 Fifth St.), formerly Hotel Milano. But unlike their prior two hits, the pair's new concept, the Cavalier, will be an all-day, London-inspired brasserie, created in partnership with the hotel.

Those with good memories will recall that in the mid-1990s, the restaurant was the home to super-chef Michel Richard's short-lived San Francisco outpost Bistro M. Even though the space spent the last few years as a nondescript Thai joint, the bones of Richard's fine-dining kitchen layout remain.

While Puccio will create her take on a gastropub menu in the kitchen, San Francisco designer Ken Fulkwill be responsible for the interior, which will be decked out in deep leather banquettes, polished brass, zinc and white marble, giving it a posh and sultry feel.

"The interior will have the feel of an instant classic - as if it's always been there," Fulk says. "Old World with a dose of glamour. And, of course, a bit of irreverence."

The Cavalier's long, narrow 80-seat dining area is bookended by two bars, with the restaurant's main entrance on Jessie Street. Closest to Fifth Street will be the main 35-seat bar area, dubbed the Blue Bar, which is where breakfast will be served. Toward the rear, there will be a semi-hidden, semi-private lounge called Marianne's, named after British musician-style icon Marianne Faithfull; appropriately, the salon-like room will take on a bohemian rock vibe.

The Cavalier is slated for a late summer opening, but Weinberg and Puccio will also handle the food and beverage for the hotel lobby bar, S&R Lounge, due in mid-March.

The letters stand for "salvaged" and "rescued" - a literal reference to the decor's materials and a figurative one for the theme of the menu. The lobby bar's food and drink will pay homage to retro classics from America's party past, like pigs in a blanket and pimiento cheese spread. In a slight wink to Silicon Valley, cocktails will be named after tech speak: the Bubble, 404, Former Friends and so on.

However, the S&R Lounge won't be Weinberg's only new development in the coming months; she and her husband are expecting their first child in the spring.

Going to the Market: Daniel Pattersonhas a little project brewing in the area that everyone is now calling Mid-Market.

The chef-owner of San Francisco's four-star Coi - plus Haven, Plum and Plum Bar in Oakland - has finalized a deal to open a 70-seat full-service restaurant and bar at 1420 Market St., a hashtag away from the Twitter building and myriad new residential units.

The concept isn't complete enough to share specifics, but the idea calls for a "fun, casual" place. The opening date is under wraps as well, but summer is a possibility.

The Fog lifts: Upon opening in 1985, Fog City Diner (1300 Battery St.) was a groundbreaking restaurant. Nearly three decades later, even though the brightly lit restaurant on the funky corner of Battery and the Embarcadero has become a San Francisco classic, Bill Higginssays its time has come.

As reported on the Inside Scoop blog last week, Higgins and his Real Restaurant partners will shutter Fog City Diner on March 15 for a complete overhaul. They're bringing Bix and Picco chef Bruce Hill into the fold, and designer Michael Guthrie will redo the signature diner theme.

"We're performing a diner-ectomy," Higgins says. "It's still going to be American, but it's going to be the reinvention of Fog City Diner."

The new name: simply Fog City.

Mr. Bean: Steve Sandois finally opening a Rancho Gordoretail space inside the Ferry Building after eight years of slinging his heirloom beans outside at the Saturday Ferry Plaza Farmers Market.

The Ferry Building shop will be Rancho Gordo's second retail space, following the Napa original. It will take the place of Scharffen Berger, which currently remains open.

When Rancho Gordo opens, probably this summer, the shop will sell Sando's collection of 25-plus heirloom and heritage dry beans, plus other indigenous New World products like chiles, corn, stone ground cacao and heirloom corn tortillas. With help from La Cocina, Rancho Gordo will also offer some prepared beans to take away, plus a salad and a hot soup for lunch.

Sando, who sells beans to many of the city's top restaurants, jokes that local chefs are probably just as glad as he is that he will open a San Francisco store. "Beans are heavy to ship, and to have chefs be able to pick up beans seven days a week will be appreciated."